The Pain of Rejection
by Child of Dreams
Summary: What if the situation with Tonks had never happened and Layla confessed her love for Remus that Halloween night? What if, unknowing of the consequences, he rejected her?
1. Rejected

**The Pain of Rejection  
****By: Child of Dreams**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.  
****If I did, Harry would be female and Remus would have married her instead of Nymphadora Tonks!**

**Chapter One: Rejected**

Remus closed his eyes for a brief moment, wracked with guilt over what he was about to do.  
"I'm very flattered, Layla, but I'm afraid I just don't love you that way!"  
The 16 year old's eyes filled with fresh tears.  
"Remus, please..." she choked out, throat clogged with tears as the agony of her mate's rejection stabbed through her like a knife.  
The werewolf just shook his head sadly.  
"I'm sorry, but I simply can't return your feelings."

The raven-haired girl immediately burst into tears before rushing from the room and disappearing down the corridor, causing the werewolf to feel even worse as a furious Moony threw a raging tantrum.  
"Mate hurting, needs us, go to her, say sorry, tell her the truth!" his wolf raged violently.  
Remus mentally huffed.  
"No, Moony!" he repled firmly.  
"It's too dangerous for her, we need to keep her safe!"  
Moony whined miserably.  
"Mate hurting..." the wolf pleaded desperately and Remus sighed heavily.  
"I know, Moony, but it's for her own good..."

**Author's Note: So, I've been meaning to post this for a couple months now, but never got around to doing it until today!  
Anyway, Merry Christmas, wherever you are!**


	2. Fading

**Chapter Two: Fading**

Time passed and Layla was slowly wasting away.  
She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, could barely muster the energy to drag herself out of bed in the morning.  
Before she knew it, the Christmas holidays had started.

The date was December 17th.  
It had now been six weeks since Remus had rejected her, the werewolf not knowing about her creature inheritance and the consequences of doing so.  
However, she preferred it this way.  
Better for her mate not to know the consequences of his rejection than to accept her out of guilt, or worse, obligation, in order to save her life.  
Layla refused to hurt her mate like that.  
At least this way, her mate was free to be with somebody he truly loved, even if that freedom cost the young Shadow Veela her life...

The 16 year old stabbed miserably at a small portion of scrambled egg on her plate.  
The majority of the students, with the exception of herself, Blaise, two Ravenclaw fourth years and a Hufflepuff second year, had gone home three days ago.  
The raven-haired teen sighed sadly and stood up as a sudden wave of fatigue took hold, never even noticing the pair of dark gray eyes, filled with a combination of anger and worry, gazing at her retreating back.  
Slowly ascending the Grand Staircase, Layla gave the password and climbed through the portrait hole into the common room, dragging her weakened body across the room, up the stairs and into her dormitory where she collapsed, completely and utterly spent, onto her bed, using the very last ounce of energy that remained inside her to pull the hangings shut before finally surrendering to the blissful darkness.

As the day wore on, the dark-haired girl faded further and further with each passing hour.  
Her shallow gasps for air grew more and more labored before she finally exhaled a long, shuddering breath and was silent, her chest not rising again.  
Her heart beat once, twice, stuttered briefly for a few seconds, then stopped altogether.


	3. Gone

**Chapter Three: Gone**

Remus picked disinterestedly at his food that evening, unable to muster up the will to actually eat anything.  
The werewolf didn't know why, but there was a gaping hole in his heart and he felt strangely empty, as if some vital part of him had been ripped away…  
Slowly getting to his feet and exiting the Great Hall, Remus was just approaching the Grand Staircase when his path was blocked by a highly pissed-off Blaise Zabini.  
"How could you?" the Slytherin teen burst out wildly.  
The werewolf raised an eyebrow.  
"I beg your pardon?" he queried lightly.  
Blaise let out a vicious snarl and lunged at him, two giant feathered wings sprouting from his back and razor-sharp claws extending from his fingertips.  
Before he could make physical contact, however, a pair of strong arms quickly grabbed him around the middle and dragged him backwards.

"Mr. Zabini, what exactly do you think you're doing, attacking a Hogwarts Profesor?" the Potions Master questioned silkily, his fathomless black eyes glinting dangerously.  
The Slytherin hissed in rage.  
"He rejected her!" Blaise growled venomously and Snape reared back as if he had been slapped, his head whipping around to face Remus.  
"You did what?" he hissed murderously.  
"What in Merlin's name is going on?" the frustrated werewolf wanted to know.

The Potions Master pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"Yes or no, Lupin, did Miss Potter mention anything at all about being in love with you?" he demanded urgently.  
Remus frowned, not understanding what Snape was getting at.  
"Yes," he said slowly, "but I told her that I couldn't return her feelings..."  
The werewolf's brow furrowed in confusion.  
"Why is that so important?"

The Potions Master sighed.  
"Because, Lupin, Miss Potter is a Shadow Veela.  
If a Shadow Veela is rejected by their mate, then they will start to fade.  
No Shadow Veela has ever survived a mate's rejection for longer than a few months."  
"But that was six weeks ago..."

Remus trailed off, eyes widening in horrified realization as an enraged Moony forcefully shoved images of Layla's sickly appearance and how her health had rapidly deteriorated over the past six weeks to the forefront of his brain.  
"FUCK!" he swore viciously, slamming his fist into the stone wall before sprinting as fast as he could up the Grand Staircase, his heart thumping erratically, the other two males not far behind.  
Barking out the password, he practically tore up the narrow, twisting staircase leading to the girls' dorms and burst through the door marked _'Sixth Years'_.

For several agonizing seconds, Blaise heard nothing but silence.  
Then there was a loud, heartbreaking wail of raw pain and anguish, and the Slytherin teen quickly rushed up the stairs and into the dorm where he immediately saw  
Professor Lupin kneeling next to one of the beds, cradling something limp and lifeless close to his chest as he openly sobbed over the motionless form.  
Blaise stumbled and would have fallen if Profesor Snape hadn't caught him in time.  
His gray eyes filled with tears.

"Lupin?"  
The Potions Master's voice was barely audible.  
The werewolf lifted his head and just stared at them for a few seconds before slowly shaking his head, his eyes shining with pure grief and agony.  
"She's gone."  
Remus' voice broke and the werewolf buried his face in the crook of his mate's neck, his shoulders heaving with the force of his sobs as he wept bitterly.  
What had he done?


	4. Grieving

**Chapter Four: Grieving**

The corridors were dark, torches burning dimly on the walls as Remus slowly made his way through the school.  
Layla lay motionless underneath a thin cotton sheet, her long dark hair cascading over the werewolf's shoulder like a silky black waterfall.  
As he walked, the body in his arms seemed to grow heavier and heavier.

The drape slipped slightly, exposing the 16 year old's unnaturally pale face, as white and as cold as the fresh snow currently falling outside, her lips completely drained of all color.  
Remus halted briefly, gazing down at the raven-haired teen's peaceful features before ever so gently readjusting the sheet and collapsing against the wall, his body wracked with great, heaving sobs of agony and loss.  
After what felt to the heartbroken werewolf like forever, he slowly pushed himself off the wall and resumed his journey.

He walked into the Hospital Wing and made his way to the tiny door leading to the Morgue, located at the very end of the Infirmary.  
Walking over to the bier in the center of the room, Remus carefully lowered his mate's lifeless body onto the cold marble surface before removing the sheet.  
The werewolf's breath hitched as he gazed down at Layla's peaceful face, still so, so beautiful, even in death.  
Her glossy black curls framed her unnaturally pale face perfectly in deep midnight waves.  
Lovingly caressing the dark-haired girl's icy cheek, Remus broke down in fresh tears as he collapsed over the 16 year old's still form, sobbing uncontrollably.  
"I'm sorry, Layla!" the werewolf wept, inconsolable with grief.  
"I'm so, so sorry!"  
His mate was dead and it was all his fault.


	5. Goodbye

**Chapter Five: Goodbye**

The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly over the snow-covered grounds as the minister spoke.  
After the service was over, the small group of mourners walked up to where Layla's body lay in a beautiful ebony casket, her head resting on a white pillow and a gentle smile gracing her lips.  
When it was Remus' turn, the werewolf nearly collapsed from the weight of his grief.

Gazing down at his mate's peaceful face, Remus lovingly caressed the dark-haired girl's snowy cheek, weeping as he placed a tender kiss upon the soft lips.  
The werewolf then tucked a beautiful emerald-studded silver bracelet with a single light-brown wolf charm into the teenager's right hand, closing her cold, stiff fingers around the chain before gently squeezing her limp hand and stepping backward, tears streaming down his face as the casket was closed and lowered into the ground next to two other graves.  
The mourners then disapparated one by one until only Remus was left.  
The werewolf just stared blankly for several minutes at his mate's grave before collapsing to the ground in a crumpled heap, sobbing uncontrollably.

**Author's Note: Yes, I do realize that Remus is a werewolf and therefore shouldn't even be able to touch silver without receiving serious burns at the very least.**  
**However, I have tweaked that little detail and made it so that silver is only harmful if it gets into the werewolf's bloodstream.**  
**Otherwise, it is perfectly safe to touch, as long as said werewolf doesn't have any open wounds!**


	6. Visitation

**Chapter Six: Visitation**

The day after Layla's funeral, Remus resigned from the DADA position.  
Over the course of the next few weeks, the werewolf didn't leave his house.  
He stopped eating, sleeping and even bathing.  
Most of his time was spent curled up in bed, sobbing uncontrollably and clutching a small photo of Layla, taken over the summer, to his chest.  
When he did leave his room, all he did was sit on the living room sofa in front of the fireplace, his thin frame wrapped up in several blankets and staring blankly into the flickering orange flames, nursing a large bottle of Ogden's Best Firewhiskey.

This was how Remus was now, six or seven empty bottles scattered around him and another, half-empty bottle, raised to his lips.  
The werewolf took a long swig, his eyes blurring with tears as images of his dead mate danced through his grief-stricken mind.  
He drained the bottle, tossing it against the brick fireplace where it promptly shattered, and slumped back against the arm of the sofa, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Remus saw little pinpricks of light darting around the room.  
The werewolf blinked and rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then blinked again.  
But the vision remained the same.

Tiny, glowing balls of light were zooming rapidly around the room.  
At first, each individual ball of light was completely separate from one another.  
But soon, they all came together and a brilliant white light filled the room.  
The light slowly faded and Remus' breath caught in his chest.

Layla stood in front of him, wearing a white knitted cardigan over a simple white sundress, her glossy black curls flowing loosely down her back and the bracelet he'd placed in her hand as she lay in her casket just before the burial fastened around her wrist, a pair of white sandals on her feet and a calla lily tucked behind her ear.  
Her emerald eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at the broken werewolf slumped over on the couch.  
"Oh, Remus, why must you insist on doing this to yourself?" she sighed sadly, a single tear trickling down her cheek.  
The werewolf's sunken, haunted grayish-brown eyes filled with fresh tears as he gazed upon the very person he'd thought he would never see again.  
"Layla?" he choked out disbelievingly.  
The dark-haired girl just smiled sadly and nodded.

Remus immediately burst into tears, launching himself at his mate and crushing her to his chest, his face buried in her long black hair, thin form shaking with silent sobs.  
"Oh God, Layla, Layla, Layla," he murmured over and over, words strangled between great, heaving gasps.  
Layla just rubbed his back comfortingly as the inconsolable werewolf wept into her shoulder.  
"Oh Merlin, Layla, I am so, so sorry..." Remus sobbed.  
"I told you I didn't love you like that, but I lied.  
I was only trying to protect you, but I didn't know..." his voice trailed off as he dissolved into a fresh wave of tears.

Layla sighed.  
"Remus, you can't continue like this," she whispered miserably.  
"You have to move on!"  
The werewolf shook his head violently.  
"No!" he gasped out hoarsely.  
"I can't! I won't!"

Layla's eyes filled with tears as Remus cried himself to sleep on her shoulder.  
Careful not to wake him, the raven-haired teen slowly stood up and gently maneuvered the sleeping werewolf so that he was lying comfortably on the couch.  
Looking around, she spotted a dark brown afghan draped over the back of the couch and gently tucked it over her mate's still form before proceeding to throw away the empty bottles of firewhiskey and clean up the shattered glass in front of the fireplace.  
Then, gazing sadly at Remus' gaunt, skeletal frame, red, swollen eyes and blotchy, tearstained cheeks, the dark-haired girl vanished in the same white light that had brought her.


	7. Denial

**Chapter Seven: Denial**

Poppy sighed sadly as she gazed at the pitiful, broken form fast asleep on the sofa underneath a dark brown afghan.  
As she watched, the werewolf slowly began to stir.  
Remus brought a hand up to his face and sleepily rubbed at his eyes.  
Suddenly, the events of the night before flashed through his brain and the werewolf shot to his feet.  
"Layla?" he called out, his voice rising in panic when he didn't receive an answer.  
"Layla, where are you?"  
The mediwitch moved forward, placing a hand on Remus' shoulder.  
"Remus," she said slowly and clearly so there couldn't be any misunderstanding.  
"Layla is dead, we buried her three weeks ago.  
You were at the funeral, remember?"

At her words, the werewolf slumped back onto the couch, scrubbing harshly at his face as his eyes once again filled with tears at the memory.  
"It was a dream," he rasped out hoarsely.  
Poppy nodded sympathetically.  
Suddenly, Remus caught sight of the floor in front of the fireplace.  
"Wait!" he burst out, jumping up.  
"I threw an empty bottle of Firewhiskey at the fireplace and it broke.  
The shards were still on the floor when I fell asleep and now they're gone!"  
The werewolf glanced around.  
"The other bottles I had on the couch are gone too, it must have been real!"

As Remus grew more and more frantic, Poppy sighed.  
Casting a Sleeping Spell at the hysterical werewolf, she levitated him upstairs, through the doorway of his room and into bed, gently pulling the covers over the slumbering form and placing a vial of Calming Draught on the nightstand before going back downstairs and flooing back to Hogwarts.


	8. Reunion

**Chapter Eight: Reunion**

Remus rummaged through his trunk.  
Poppy thought he'd been hallucinating, but the werewolf just knew that Layla had been there.  
Even Moony knew that they hadn't been dreaming when their mate's spirit had come to them.  
He pulled out a small vial of silver nitrate.  
Soon, he would be permanently reunited with his mate.

A single tear trickled down Remus' cheek as he gazed at the enlarged photograph, gently tracing the contours of the 16 year old's cheek.  
"We'll be together again soon, my love!" he murmured quietly.  
The werewolf raised the vial to his lips and threw back his head, swallowing the entire contents in one go before placing the empty vial on his nightstand and laying down on the bed, pulling the covers up to his chest.

As the poison did its job, Remus' face contorted in agony.  
He could feel the agonizing burn as his very blood sizzled from the pure liquid silver rushing through his veins.  
Soon, however, the pain receded and the werewolf felt an overwhelming wave of fatigue begin to take over.  
Darkness was creeping up around the edges of his vision.  
Slowly, his face grew calm and his muscles relaxed, his lips curving into a soft smile as his eyes drifted shut.  
Then, nothing.

Up in Heaven, a tearful Remus joyfully embraced his mate.  
As their lips connected in a searing kiss, Moony howled with happiness over the fact that they were finally together forever.

The End


End file.
